Oh no, they're sharing secrets. Photo Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

Oh no, they’re sharing secrets.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

A few days ago, Widener University football coach Mike Kelly had some choice words for Chip Kelly: “Make sure you put in the paper that we thank Chip Kelly and I hope the Seahawks do well tomorrow,” Widener’s coach Kelly said. “He was helping them out. Maybe somebody in Philadelphia ought to buy him a map so he knows where he lives now. But, go Seahawks.”

The lesser Kelly was upset that Chip allowed his playoff opponent, Oregon’s Linfield College, to use the Novacare Complex for practice and posed for a picture with them. Apparently he thought Chip shared some deep, dark football secrets with Linfield that caused them to beat Widener 45-7. Never mind that sort of thing is against the rules. Never mind that if some whispered secret plan can upset your team 45-7, you might have bigger problems. Never mind that we’re talking about Widener football. But the other Kelly said his piece, and now that Chip Kelly’s mind is off of the Seahawks, he said some things too.

Speaking to 94WIP this morning, Chip said what many of us thought: “I don’t understand it.”

He added:

“Obviously they lost the game, but I think (the criticism) was a little misguided. Joe Smith, who coaches Linfield College (of Oregon) program, I know him. They have an outstanding program. We allow people to use our facility all the time. When Navy played Temple they practiced here. I know the coaches at Navy and they are great people. When West Chester was in the playoffs last year, and they had some bad weather, they came over and practiced here. St. Joe’s Prep has used our facility. A lot of people have. I know that (Linfield) staff.”

There. Settled, right? Well, if it’s not, Chip is about to make that lesser Kelly feel like a real dick:

“I don’t think people realize this. Less than a month ago, they had one of their players killed in a random act of violence. He just went to the store and got stabbed by some guy in a senseless thing.”

That soft sound you hear is Mike Kelly backing away from everything as quietly as he can. But please, Chip, continue:

“You can google Joe Smith’s letter to his team (about the incident), and it was a real moving thing. This sport is about leadership and teaching people the lessons you can learn in life. There is not a classier guy than Joe Smith. I was at his practice for five minutes, I’m not allowed to watch practice, but I went down to see him, tell him how much I admired him, and tell him I was honored to let him use the facility. Anytime we can help a team out we do.”

I’d say Mike Kelly should probably apologize and make some kind of statement about how he shouldn’t have blamed other people who were just being nice for his own loss, but I think 45-7, or just being the coach of Widener football, is likely punishment enough.